Further Tales Of The City (1988) - Plot & Excerpts
This one might be the slowest of all of the books so far to get into, but once it picks up its force, it really does-- full-throttle. I was honestly really disappointed in the beginning of the book, because Maupin unexpectedly leaps ahead three years in all of our characters' lives. So, many of the story lines left hanging in the previous installment remain suspended. It's as if he got bored with moving so slowly with them... but, more likely now that I think about it, he probably just wanted license to incorporate and fictionalize a few current events that were going on at the time of the book's publication.For example, we suddenly learn that DeDe, who purportedly has not left Guyana after her escape with D'or at the end of the second book, was present for the infamous Jonestown Massacre. Maupin weaves the story of Jim Jones and the Peoples Temple in San Francisco into his kaleidoscopic gay otherworld in a way that makes a political point about cult mentalities but also demonstrates compassion for the women who were wooed by his charisma. There is also much more violence attached to the crimes that happen in this book than in the previous ones, as if Maupin is starting to get antsy with sugarcoating gay life in San Francisco as a wonderland of society parties and underwear-dancing contests. We witness a hate crime and various kidnappings that require a lot of uncharacteristic bloodshed to work out.However, less accessible-- maybe for today's readers, at least-- is the entire subplot surrounding a wildly famous but closeted male actor named _____ ______. Whereas I was able to figure out which female actress he was referring to in the first book when he mentioned plastic surgery (Remember, violet eyes and a tracheotomy? Elizabeth Taylor!), there really weren't enough clues in this one to have any sense of who it was. It seemed like there wasn't meant to be, which made it a kind of frustrating, skippable inside joke.I also wasn't totally sold on DeDe's complete character transformation or Mary Ann and Brian's newfound ardor. Both seem way too abrupt, probably just because Maupin's deliberately cut corners by skipping several years, in which the reader is just told to trust that these changes happened. So, while a few years is certainly enough time for these developments to take place, it can feel really alienating for a reader without further insight into these characters. I was also a little disappointed with D'or's complete absence (though not necessarily Mona's-- I kind of find her extremely annoying sometimes), and I'm looking forward to her hinted-at return in the fourth book.
Oh dear! Has the shine worn off? Again, I loved this book when I first read it, but found it a tad disappointing this time round. It is the final "Tales" book to have been made into a TV series and I think it is this that it suffers from. Armistead Maupin wrote the screenplays for the adaptations of the first three "Tales" books and was very hands-on in the production. That meant that, in the TV version, he got to improve on the bits that he hadn't got quite right. It is beautiful to see how the characters have developed; they are now in their thirties and no longer the naive twenty-somethings of the first two books. Like all the best dramas that take place over a span of time, Maupin manages to change the characters without losing their essence, which keeps the experience fresh for the reader but rings true and increases the sense of belonging that we feel with these people, as we are growing up with them.What was disappointing with the book, as opposed to the TV series, was the whole "Bambi in the basement" plotline. In the TV series, Maupin introduced a whole new plotline with Mother Mucca, Mrs Madrigal's mother, which introduced another bittersweet element to the plot, but also provided a whooly satisfying conclusion to the "Bambi" situation. This never really seems to be resolved satisfactorily in the book and whereas the TV series draws to a sentimental, yet satisfactory close, with hints of the sadness to come, the end of the book seems a little rushed and pat. Still, I love Maupin's style of writing and the episodic nature means that I can dip in to it each night and not lose the thread. I really care about the characters and Mrs Madrigal still rocks! I am searching online for kimonos, ready for my metamorphosis into the landlady now that I am nearing her age bracket. (The postman's going to get a shock!)
What do You think about Further Tales Of The City (1988)?
Are you sick of the Tales of the City reviews yet? I hope not! I’m just finishing up Babycakes and should have a post for Monday. Then you get a brief break while I reread Christopher Paolini’s Inheritance Cycle in time for the November 8th release of the fourth and final novel, Inheritance.I read Further Tales of the City before deciding to go back and restart the series. Thus, I’m posting out-of-order, which is a big hypothetical no-no in my blog mind, but I didn’t want to start posting with book three so I made an exception as I enjoyed this novel so much! It didn’t hurt that a very dapper older gentleman on the bus one morning told me that he loves these novels and that they’re well worth the read. When I told him I was reading them out-of-order he looked shocked and told me I HAD to read/re-read all of them.As mentioned in the previous posts, Maupin’s Tales of the City series is quirky, classic, and enchantingly amusing. Book three, Further Tales of the City, was a fascinating read and probably my favorite so far in the series. It was clearly dated with references to Jonestown and references to the turn of the decade, but it once again highlighted the awesome up-to-the-moment of serialization and the unique perspective it allowed Maupin to incorporate.Click here to continue reading on my blog The Oddness of Moving Things.
—Geoff
The Tales series has been on my "to read" list for years. I am glad to have finally finished the thrid book in the series. These books are delightful and nostalgic for me. Maupin writes in a fast-paced, witty way, and peppers the narrative with political and cultural references to the 1970s. Of course I am drawn to these books — I came of age during these years. By the time I gradulated college in 1980, San Francisco famous for being a gay haven. It is wonderful to relive the disco age, the Village People, the entire sexually free society.Of course, things changed dramatically in the early 1980s with the age of AIDS. It is beautiful to remember what was, though. It is wonderful to relive the early years of the gay liberation movement and read of Michael's journey to full self-acceptance and pride in who he is.While I admire Maupin's ability to construct multiple story lines and to convey character traits in an economical and concise way, I do think there are a few inconsistencies here. Where is Mona? Why does it take so long for Mrs. Madrigal to play any meaningful role in this book? I don't know if I really buy Brian's complete behavior change. But I do love Dee Dee's story line. Thanks Armistead for writing strong women characters and for creating a transgender woman heroine long before the LGBT community really embraced the trans community.
—Jean Marie Angelo
I absolutely fell in love with these books from the first one, Armistead Maupin did an amazing job of creating a world full of awesome characters with comedy, drama, suspense all rolled into one. One cannot help but love most of the characters, except the odd psycho or two. I feel sorry for Mary- Ann though, she seems to have to keep a secret at the end of each book. I love the way he describes each chapter with a headline, really funny and smart! In the third book, Mary Ann is on a big story, her career is on the move and she wats to make it big. This is where Dede comes, she just escaped a cult run by Jim Jones. He ends up kidnapping her children which was fathered by a delivery boy in More Tales of the City, unfortunately for Prue, the columnist, she befriends a man who lives in the woods, and it turns out this is the same man, or is it? The ending does not clarify it, i love it, so that remains a secret. Very interesting and captivating plot. Now, who is this celebrity with no name? Each time he is mentioned, he writes ________ ______. LOL, wow, now that is the biggest mystery! A shame that Mona does not appear in this book, she is such a funny character, she moved to Seattle to start a new life, hopefully she pops up in the next one! Micheal is still hot n cold about love and relationships, he reminds me of myself, i want it, then i dont.... Maybe a real drama queen like myself! He is such a sweetheart! Mrs Madrigal is still her funny old self, especially when the kidnap Bambi! LOL.... That was really funny! I really loved it, it is an endearing and sweet story. I love these characters, they are real, and true, well, most of them! Looking forward to the next one! Wic
—Wichard Fella
